All Functional Skills external assessments, whether on-screen or paper based, must be completed under invigilated conditions, in accordance with the NCFE Regulations for the Conduct of External Assessment.

From July 2019, following an Ofqual review, all Awarding Organisations have adopted the rule that no tutor of a Functional Skills qualification can be involved in the administration of the assessment materials for level 1 and 2 exams in that subject, regardless of the level they teach. (Administration includes initial receipt, secure storage, movement, or preparation of confidential material for external assessments before, during, or after an external assessment)

In addition, a Functional Skills subject tutor must not be involved in the invigilation of that subject, even if they have not taught those candidates (i.e. a Functional Skills English tutor must not invigilate any Functional Skills English exam, and a Functional Skills Maths tutor must not invigilate any Functional Skills Maths exam, regardless of the level they teach).

These changes are reflected in the updated Regulations for the Conduct of External Assessment, from 01 September 2019. We appreciate this will require centres to implement potential changes to current internal processes to ensure the new Ofqual requirements are adhered to. In light of this, we are supporting centres through the production of both an Invigilation Webinar and an Invigilation Exception Requests Form (where appropriate)

Invigilation Webinar

This Webinar has been produced to give an overview to the context of any invigilation changes, to discuss who now can and who cannot invigilate Functional Skills External Assessments, to outline the Exceptions Request process, and to consider several scenarios aimed to increase understanding and address specific queries in this area. You will find this Webinar here.

We would strongly encourage you to refer to this Webinar prior to submitting an Invigilation Exception Request as you may discover that you can modify or maintain your current processes without the need for such an Exception.